Are you curious when other NS students don't believe in Cdn RN's d/t grading scales?

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I have posted a few threads on the fact (sorry to bore you guys! lol) that US schools usually have higher grading scales than our Canadian nursing schools...

Usually whenever I state that my nursing school only requires 63% to pass nursing classes and 50% to pass electives, alot of the US nursing students reply that we must not know that much, they wouldn't trust an RN that only needed 63% to pass a class to care for them in a hospital etc, we shouldn't be nurses if they only require us to know 60% or so of nursing knowledge as a bare mininum.

Now I know that not every school in Canada has the same grading scale, but several large universities (including U of T) have similar passing grades for their nursing classes.

I totally respect USA students for their hard work (believe me when I say that if I had to have 80% or 85% in each nursing class in order to graduate, I would most likely fail nursing school! lol) Now its not like I strive to get 60's in nursing school (my GPA is 3.2 right now so I am not doing too bad :X) but it is a tad annoying when others make statements like that. I always respond politely to their replies, and state that its just the way canadian nursing schools seem to do it (at least the ones that I know of but I am sure others have had higher grading scales!)

But its a free country and to each her (or his!) own :D:p:specs:

Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this? I am NOT trying to start a flamewar between us and other nursing students. I am just curious about others responses!

thanks!

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Not to belittle the US's grading standards, but the only logical thing I can think of is that their standards are lowered, and that they get extra marks for attending class/handing in homework assignments

No country has smarter students than the other, I'm just saying the standards for grading must be completely different in the States than in Canada...

My daughter is in nursing school right now, and she works her butt off to achieve 80s

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I am a Canadian that went to school in the US and the grading standard is very high because they deem it is required in order to pass NCLEX. 76-80% is the standard at most schools I am familiar with. In my experience the attrition rate for nursing school is shocking. They feel it is necessary in order to weed out those that are suited for the profession.

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when i was in HS...our passing was sixty......some other schools in the area where 70.....We had the better reputation.....testing can be constructed to meet either criteria to produce the same results.....

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My son did a semester in England, his college converted the grades, for example a 60 would be failing but they would scale the 60 to a C+ or B-.

His 70 was converted to a A-. So my opinion is that the grades are weighted differently.

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I have posted a few threads on the fact (sorry to bore you guys! lol) that US schools usually have higher grading scales than our Canadian nursing schools...

Usually whenever I state that my nursing school only requires 63% to pass nursing classes and 50% to pass electives, alot of the US nursing students reply that we must not know that much, they wouldn't trust an RN that only needed 63% to pass a class to care for them in a hospital etc, we shouldn't be nurses if they only require us to know 60% or so of nursing knowledge as a bare mininum.

Now I know that not every school in Canada has the same grading scale, but several large universities (including U of T) have similar passing grades for their nursing classes.

I totally respect USA students for their hard work (believe me when I say that if I had to have 80% or 85% in each nursing class in order to graduate, I would most likely fail nursing school! lol) Now its not like I strive to get 60's in nursing school (my GPA is 3.2 right now so I am not doing too bad :X) but it is a tad annoying when others make statements like that. I always respond politely to their replies, and state that its just the way canadian nursing schools seem to do it (at least the ones that I know of but I am sure others have had higher grading scales!)

But its a free country and to each her (or his!) own :D:p:specs:

Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this? I am NOT trying to start a flamewar between us and other nursing students. I am just curious about others responses!

thanks!

I'm thinking of relocating to Canada, because of my friend and was consider finishing a BSN program in USA first, but with looking at these threads, I think finishing in Canada won't be a bad idea afterall. I have an AA degree in General studies, plus Certificate in Practical Nursing from a local college. I'm wondering how long will it take to get a BSN in Canada compare to USA. It's 2 more years in USA. Does anyone there have an idea of how the Universities in Canada will take my Elective, science classes. I know in USA, Universities where I live will take all my subjects..so only two years I will have left to finish the BSN degree in USA.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
I'm thinking of relocating to Canada, because of my friend and was consider finishing a BSN program in USA first, but with looking at these threads, I think finishing in Canada won't be a bad idea afterall. I have an AA degree in General studies, plus Certificate in Practical Nursing from a local college. I'm wondering how long will it take to get a BSN in Canada compare to USA. It's 2 more years in USA. Does anyone there have an idea of how the Universities in Canada will take my Elective, science classes. I know in USA, Universities where I live will take all my subjects..so only two years I will have left to finish the BSN degree in USA.

You may be classed as an International student therefore fees are higher. Also they may not acknowledge your US credits

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

If you are not a Canadian citizen, you will pay at least double the tuition fees to attend a Canadian University.

As for transferring credits, that depends on the school and their policies. In Ontario, the BSN program is four years full time and not all universities offer an accelerated version but some do, so you will have to check around.

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An AA diploma won't get you into a BScN accelerated programme. The AA is similar to a two year Arts/Sciences diploma from our community colleges.

It takes a PN three years to make it through the BScN, no matter how many transfer electives you have. When I looked into it, there were some semesters I would have had two nursing classes due to the number of completed electives I had. I would have had to find a filler class to make up to three courses to keep my full time student status for tax purposes.

Hell, I work with LPNs with degrees from around the world that the UofA wouldn't accept for the accelerated programme.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Not to belittle the US's grading standards, but the only logical thing I can think of is that their standards are lowered, and that they get extra marks for attending class/handing in homework assignments

Nope.

In my nursing class, we only had 400 points.

4 tests, 100 questions each-that's it.

No extra credit, and they could care less if I didn't show up to class (lecture) and my clinical was pass/fail.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

As I just posted in the other thread on this subject, in Canada the grades are based on a combination of multiple choice exams (objective measurement), papers, care plans and group projects/oral presentations (subjective measurement) and the final grade will be arrived at through mostly subjective judging. If it were strictly multiple choice exams, then that bar would have to be set higher... those answers are right or wrong, and there's no dithering. But when you lose marks for putting a period in the wrong place according the APA format, or using different wording in the as-evidenced-by section of your nursing diagnosis than the instructor would have used, or being visibly nervous in front of a room full of people even when you know the information cold, it's much harder to be perfect.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Very well articulated Jan.

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